Sten Gabriel Bernhard Forshufvud (9 February 1903 – 25 June 1985) was a Swedish dentist and physician, and amateur toxicologist (expert on poisons) who formulated and supported the controversial theory that Napoleon was assassinated by a member of his entourage while in exile. He wrote a book, in Swedish, about this in 1961, which was translated the following year as Who Killed Napoleon? He later published his ideas in English in the 1983 book Assassination At St. Helena: The Poisoning Of Napoleon Bonaparte, written in collaboration with Ben Weider, co-author (with David Hapgood) of the 1982 book The Murder Of Napoleon, which also advanced Forshufvud's theories.
Early life
Forshufvud was born in Ramsele, Sweden and was the son of district medical officer Oscar Bengtsson and Eva Melin. He passed his studentexamen in Uddevalla in 1921 and passed his dental exam in 1924 and was active as a dental surgeon at the University of Bordeaux in 1934. Once back to Sweden, he carried on his studies in Biology at Lund University, where he conducted the research for his Ph.D. thesis in Medicine; this he published in 1941.
Postulations
Forshufvud and Weider suggested that their theory that Napoleon was assassinated by a Frenchman who served on Napoleon's staff during his exile (their most likely suspect being Montholon) was repugnant to the French people, who now honor Napoleon as one of France's great heroes. As a result, they understood that their "proof of poisoning" would always be questioned or ridiculed by those serving France.
Personal life and death
In his first marriage, in 1925, he married Karin Thorsell. He is buried at Stampen Cemetery in Gothenburg.
Footnotes
References
- Weider. Ben, and Hapgood, David. 1982. The Murder Of Napoleon. New York: Congdon & Lattes: Distributed by St. Martin’s Press.
- Weider, Ben, and Forshufvud, Sten. 1983. Assassination At St. Helena: The Poisoning Of Napoleon Bonaparte. Berkley Books. .